1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of manufacturing preassembled tape strips. More particularly, the present invention relates to manufacturing tape strips of a predetermined length, which are at one end folded about an aperture of a workpiece.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In the manufacture and assembly of fastening products, such as tape strips, belts and straps, there is commonly a need for the attachment of additional workpieces in order to provide a finished product. These additional devices may include, for example, rings, buckles or notions which allow for the tape strips, belts or straps to be attached or connected in some fashion.
Currently, the preferred method of attaching these buckles or notions to, for example, a tape strip, has been through sewing. In the conventional art, a tape strip is commonly folded about a workpiece and sewn to itself to create a strap that has the workpiece at one end. The other end of the strap is either sewn into a final product or connected in a similar fashion to another workpiece such as a buckle. These straps are used as part of backpacks, bags, luggage, life vests, etc. Various methods are used in the art to partially assemble a tape strip about a connecting device. These methods involve gluing or spot welding the strap to itself once the strap is folded about the connecting device. The partially assembled straps are then sent to a final sewing stage and incorporated into a final product.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,795,434 discusses the problems associated with assembling these tape strips in the prior art. In particular, the prior art describes methods for producing tape strips folded about a ring. The article described is manufactured by severing a predetermined length off a continuous tape, inserting the thus obtained tape strip through the ring, and folding the tape strip through and about the ring outwardly. In order to facilitate a subsequent sewing work, a laminate portion of the folded tape strip is provisionally secured, by hand, with a thread, a staple or any other fastener to keep the tape strip in a folded form. According to the conventional technology, however, production of the tape strip folded about the ring chiefly relies on manual work and hence needs large manpower, which would be inefficient and would thus render the finished product more expensive to produce. Further, since the thread and/or staple used in temporarily securing the folded tape strip are unnecessary in a final product, such a fastener has to be removed from the folded tape strip by hand at the final stage of production. When the final product is included in articles for human use, such as trampolines, the need for the removal of staples becomes especially important. If, through human error, a staple is not removed, its inclusion in the article may easily cause injury to the consumer.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,795,434 solves the problem of the prior art by providing a machine and method for continuously manufacturing a tape strip folded about a ring. Tape drawer rollers are intermittently driven and a continuous tape is intermittently fed along a tape traveling path. A leading edge portion of the tape is inserted through a ring at a tape folding section. After the tape is fed a predetermined length through the ring, the tape is stopped and then the lower end portion of the tape inserted through the ring is bent about the ring by a first bending member. A cutting device then severs a predetermined length of tape strip off the continuous tape, whereupon the an upper half of the severed tape strip is bent about the ring by a second bending member, thus providing a folded tape strip having a laminate portion. Finally the folded tape strip is discharged out of a machine after part of its laminate portion is fused by a fusing device. The product which is created by this method provides a tape which is folded equally about a ring. This product is used as connection points on a trampoline.
However, there is still a need in the art to provide for a machine which continuously manufactures a tape strip folded about a connecting device wherein an additional length of tape extends beyond the tape which is folded about the connecting device. There is a further need for a machine capable of properly manipulating a tape strip to allow differing lengths of tape to extend beyond the tape which is folded about the connecting device. The product formed from this process can then be used in a large number of applications, such as backpacks, bags, luggage, life vests, and other uses which require tape strips attached to connecting devices.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide for an efficient method of producing a tape strip folded about a connecting device which has an additional length of tape extending beyond the tape which is folded about the connecting device.
It is a further object of the present invention to improve the efficiency of production of tape strips folded about a connecting device so that production of a final product using such folded tape strips can be facilitated.
It is another object of the present invention to manufacture a tape strip folded about a connecting device which has an additional length of tape extending beyond the tape which is folded about the connecting device.
It is yet a further object of the present invention to provide an improved method of properly manipulating a tape strip to allow differing lengths of tape to extend beyond a tape which is folded about a connecting device.
Objects of the invention are achieved by providing a machine for continuously manufacturing tape strips having at least at one end a portion folded through an aperture of a workpiece. The machine includes a tape supply section which accommodates a supply of tape having an indeterminate length. The tape supply section supplies tape to a tape feed unit which is adapted to intermittently supply a first predetermined length of tape and a second predetermined length of tape in a two stage operation. Work pieces are supplied to and received by a workpiece receiving device adapted to hold the workpiece and position the aperture of the workpiece in the tape traveling path. First and second tape folders are oppositely positioned on each side of the workpiece receiving device. These tape folders operate to move in and out of the tape traveling path. A tape fusing member is positioned above the workpiece receiving device and the tape traveling path. The tape feed unit supplies a first predetermined length of tape through the aperture of a workpiece along the tape traveling path. The tape feed unit then supplies a second predetermined length of tape that does not go through the aperture of the workpiece. First and second tape folders then move from their position outside of the tape traveling path to a position in the tape traveling path causing the tape to fold toward the heated tape fusing member above the workpiece receiving device.
The foregoing is illustrative of the objects and features of the present invention and is not intended to be exhaustive or limiting of the possible advantages that can be realized or achieved. These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art from the following description.